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That leaves you entering next year with $18,000,000 in cap space and needing one top 4 D, a 3 C and at least 3 wingers along with a goalie.

Every year at the draft good players get dealt for 2nds and 3rds. Last year Brendan Smith, Travis Hamonic, Marcus Johansson, Phillip Gruabauer, Lars Eller are some of the names, Jeff Skinner went as well, so you load up on picks at the deadline and then go shopping at the draft.

If Sekera is recovered that's great, if he's not you ship him to Ottawa and they will be more than happy to take him on and let insurance pay him.

See what you can do with Lucic. How much are you adding to him to add a guy like James Reimer that Florida has clearly soured on? Dale Tallon would still have a lot of time for Lucic.

They'll have a top 5 pick, maybe you deal it? Trade down?

There's a ton of options and ways to fix. 97-29-93-77 are all untouchable, I'd check the market on Nurse and Larsson but it comes down to if a GM is willing to get creative there's a lot of ways out of this that aren't all that painful as long as you're smart about it, and therein lies the rub with the Oilers.

"This year, we did what we were supposed to do. We fought as a team. We fought as a team. And the fact is, we gotta go back and go to work, to make sure we finish this next time. That's all we gotta do. This right here makes us stronger. Let's understand who we are as a team. Let's understand this right here makes us stronger." - Ray Lewis, January, 2012.

That leaves you entering next year with $18,000,000 in cap space and needing one top 4 D, a 3 C and at least 3 wingers along with a goalie.

Every year at the draft good players get dealt for 2nds and 3rds. Last year Brendan Smith, Travis Hamonic, Marcus Johansson, Phillip Gruabauer, Lars Eller are some of the names, Jeff Skinner went as well, so you load up on picks at the deadline and then go shopping at the draft.

If Sekera is recovered that's great, if he's not you ship him to Ottawa and they will be more than happy to take him on and let insurance pay him.

See what you can do with Lucic. How much are you adding to him to add a guy like James Reimer that Florida has clearly soured on? Dale Tallon would still have a lot of time for Lucic.

They'll have a top 5 pick, maybe you deal it? Trade down?

There's a ton of options and ways to fix. 97-29-93-77 are all untouchable, I'd check the market on Nurse and Larsson but it comes down to if a GM is willing to get creative there's a lot of ways out of this that aren't all that painful as long as you're smart about it, and therein lies the rub with the Oilers.

The Oilers still need to ice a team for the rest of this season, mate.

"Of all the so-called virtues, the most over-rated is faith" - Christopher Hitchens

Holes to fill? Absolutely. But you have Puljujarvi, a top 5 pick, Yamo and Benson all of those are in play to improve the team or to be on the team and a good GM (and again, that's the real rub) can hopefully identify which of those guys can help and which can't. You have lots of cap space suddenly.

Maybe you can deal Nurse for Huberdeau and bump Sekera back into the top 4 if he shows well in the next 6 weeks? Or Nurse for Parayko and do the same thing?

You'd have enough cap space to chase a Mark Stone in FA.

Some team like Boston or San Jose or Columbus will stumble in the first round and be looking to shake up the roster, maybe there's an opportunity there?

You'd have to be active and you'd have to be cut throat but it could be done and at least we don't have Peter doubling down on his idiocy any more.

- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by Angelus

Nobody would give up a pick for Brodziak. He would clear waivers right now with that extra year on his contract.

You can bury him and he costs almost nothing against the cap though. If you can't get anything for him that's exactly what you do... his contract is barely league minimum even with the extra year.

"This year, we did what we were supposed to do. We fought as a team. We fought as a team. And the fact is, we gotta go back and go to work, to make sure we finish this next time. That's all we gotta do. This right here makes us stronger. Let's understand who we are as a team. Let's understand this right here makes us stronger." - Ray Lewis, January, 2012.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

I just don't see how any other GM in the league would take Lucic. Even if he was free. 14 points in 58 games and -11 at $6M for another 4 seasons. Nobody is taking him, mate. Nobody.

There's 20+ other guys in the league you could say that about including James Reimer.

The thing in Edmonton seems to be we never get proper value at the deadline (Petry, Maroon both should have easily got 1sts for example) and we rarely get creative in trades.

What if Sekera shows he can play the rest of the season and we can be comfortable with him as LD2? Suddenly Darnell Nurse is a guy you can trade whose trade value almost assuredly out strips his real value, especially after he gets paid.

"This year, we did what we were supposed to do. We fought as a team. We fought as a team. And the fact is, we gotta go back and go to work, to make sure we finish this next time. That's all we gotta do. This right here makes us stronger. Let's understand who we are as a team. Let's understand this right here makes us stronger." - Ray Lewis, January, 2012.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

There's 20+ other guys in the league you could say that about including James Reimer.

The thing in Edmonton seems to be we never get proper value at the deadline (Petry, Maroon both should have easily got 1sts for example) and we rarely get creative in trades.

What if Sekera shows he can play the rest of the season and we can be comfortable with him as LD2? Suddenly Darnell Nurse is a guy you can trade whose trade value almost assuredly out strips his real value, especially after he gets paid.

Yes, but this is not the way the Oilers think. It's a pipe dream.

"No one entertains the thought that maybe God does not believe in you." - Bo Burnham

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by Angelus

Yes, but this is not the way the Oilers think. It's a pipe dream.

I don't disagree that the Oilers will **** this up, I do disagree that it's impossible to fix.

"This year, we did what we were supposed to do. We fought as a team. We fought as a team. And the fact is, we gotta go back and go to work, to make sure we finish this next time. That's all we gotta do. This right here makes us stronger. Let's understand who we are as a team. Let's understand this right here makes us stronger." - Ray Lewis, January, 2012.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by Deathsdoorstep

Plus Reimer only has 2 years left at $3.4M. No way they take Lucic for 4 years at $6M. It's not comparable at all.

No kidding. If Florida took on Lucic he would instantly become their highest paid forward. Florida is actually spending not much under the cap. They couldn't deal Reimer without getting another goalie as they only have 1 other in their system. Last thing they'd want is a boat anchor of a contract like Lucic's. Boat anchor is a good term because he skates like he's dragging one. It's not the $6M per season that really kills Lucic's trade value, it's the 4 years left that makes him untradeable unless there's a team out there willing to buy him out and use the remaining cap hit to stay above the salary cap floor. Florida doesn't appear to be such a team.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by bone

Just imagine the right shooting D they could get for him. Might even be able to get someone like Dougie Hamilton.

I keep wondering about Hamilton. A mobile 6'6" 230# right hand shooting d-man has to be one of the rarest and most sought after commodities in the NHL. Seems like if a team having him traded him they would be immediately creating a hole in their lineup that is very difficult to fill. He was drafted 9th overall in 2011 (2nd d-man after Larsson who went 4th) yet he's already been dealt twice in 3 years and was rumoured to be available again at this year's trade deadline?!?!?!?

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by PDO

A good GM fixes this mess by July 2nd in all honesty.

Must be at least a half dozen of them sitting down on lot at the Used GM Emporium. The cap mess, lack of depth on the NHL club and a farm system also thin on talent and depth is something that not even the legendary Sam Pollock could fix in one offseason.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by Esks4ever

yet that "talent" just went what was it? 17 wins in a row ?

Farm team success should never be taken as indication of a team's talent down on the farm. More often than not what makes a farm team successful is their core of career minor league journeymen, many of whom aren't even property of the parent club. I'm a Red Wings fan. 2 years ago their Grand Rapids affiliate won the Calder Cup. 2 years later very little of that roster has made an impact on the team currently sitting 29th overall in the NHL. Tyler Bertuzzi is probably the biggest contributor.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by Uncle Bobby

Zack is looking for Milan money now. LOL

I'm thinking I could even make it in the NHL. Just put me on McDavid's line.

Ah yes! The fire hydrant theory where even a fire hydrant could score 30 on Gretzky's line. It worked for BJ MacDonald. Also worked for Warren Young when he lined up with Mario. Not sure what it says about Lucic that he can't benefit the same. He certainly skates like a fire hydrant.

Re: 2018-19 Oilers Season Thread

Originally Posted by Hammer24

Farm team success should never be taken as indication of a team's talent down on the farm. More often than not what makes a farm team successful is their core of career minor league journeymen, many of whom aren't even property of the parent club. I'm a Red Wings fan. 2 years ago their Grand Rapids affiliate won the Calder Cup. 2 years later very little of that roster has made an impact on the team currently sitting 29th overall in the NHL. Tyler Bertuzzi is probably the biggest contributor.

100% agree. The difference this year however with the Condors is that many of the teams leaders are the prospects instead of the journeymen. Rookies Marody (22) and Benson (21) are leading the team in scoring and Yamamoto (20) has taken over from Currie's spot on their line and performed very well. Defensively, their top players are sophomores Jones (21) and Bear (21), first year player Lagesson (23) is also playing a major role as is rookie Day (24) who's on an AHL only contract. In net, rookie Starrett (24) is on a heater.

As you said, most of the times a successful AHL team does so on the strength of some AHL vets getting help from the NHL prospects. But this year's Condors are getting major contributions from the actual NHL prospects. Guaranteed, many won't turn out, but it is at least an encouraging sign.